2013 Stanley Cup Playoff Team - Washington Capitals

The 2013 NHL season may have not started until January because of the lockout, but the politics of the Washington, DC, sports scene was in an election-style fervor through early March because of the perceived failings of a new coach and an embattled captain of the Washington Capitals. But despite a slow, highly-criticized start, the Capitals were able to weave their firepower of the past with Adam Oates's new systemic changes of the present and surge to the top of a rather weak division, gaining the No. 3 seed in the NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs. The intensity of the Caps over this late charge toward the 2013 NHL Playoffs makes them the team no one wants to face going forward deep toward the Stanley Cup, regardless of how slowly they got out of the gate.

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With only a few days left in the 2013 NHL season, however, there's still a lot of question about who the Washington Capitals will draw as the No. 6 seed in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round. Of the four teams the Caps are likely to draw, none of them is a particularly favorable matchup for Washington based on the regular season results. The Capitals had a losing record against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders this season. The team Washington does draw will pose a problem that reflects the Caps' entire 2013 season - they will need to overcome the results of their first act if they wish to continue in the postseason. They've answered the bell once; can Ovechkin and company do it again?

Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Playoff Opponent

The Capitals' late surge to not only make the playoffs but also wrangle the Southeastern Division away from the Winnipeg Jets has provided them home-ice advantage at the Verizon Center in the first round. While there is still a lot of doubt about who they will play in round one of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Caps will be hosting the first two games at home.

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NHL Playoff Preview - Washington Capitals

Beacuse It's the Cup - Washington Capitals

Capitals - Islanders Shootout - 4/4/2013

10/4/12: New Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates is not wasting his time during the lockout. He has gone down to the Capitals AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, to help coach them. In Russia, superstar Alex Ovechkin is playing for Dynamo Moskva in the KHL. He has played in two games and has a goal and an assist so far. Goaltender Michal Neuvirth has headed to the Czech league with HC Sparta Praha and has a 3.32 goals against average and a save percentage of .905 so far in four games. Newly acquired Wojtek Wolski is rumored to be looking for a team in Sweden to play for.

9/27/12: Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin jumped ship, so to speak, last week and signed with KHL team Dynamo Moskva to play during the NHL lockout. The Russian star is one of many players to take pretty good money to play over in various European leagues. Ovechkin has appeared in two games for Dynamo Moskva this last week and has a goal and an assist in the young season. There has been some speculation that he would stay in Russia for the entirety of the season even if the NHL settles its labor stoppage. If that is the case there will be some more drama to be hashed out in the capital.

5/16/12: The Washington Capitals lost a 20 goal scorer when Alex Semin bolted for Carolina and the Capitals will need to find some more scoring this season. They have plenty of candidates to pick up the slack. Center Nicklas Backstrom only played in 42 games last season and saw his goal totals slip to only 14. If Backstrom can stay healthy and get back to the 30 goal scorer he's been in the past the Capitals may not miss Semin. They also have players like Brooks Laich, Jason Chimera and Troy Brouwer who were around 20 goals last year and could step up in Semin's absence.

7/26/12: The Washington Capitals hired former NHL player Tim Hunter as an assistant coach to join Adam Oates staff this season. Hunter played in over 800 NHL games for four different teams and won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989 and was known as a tough, rugged hard-nosed player. Since his playing days he has been an assistant coach, coaching over 1500 games and was part of the Capitals coaching staff when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. The Capitals were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in that series. Hunter should give the Capitals some much needed toughness.

5/18/12 Following their loss in Game 7 to the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals coach Dale Hunter resigned, leaving a sudden vacancy in the head coaching spot for the Caps. Despite a disappointing regular season which saw Washington settle for the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, the Caps made a run in the playoffs, knocking off the defending champion Boston Bruins in the first round and taking the #1 seeded Rangers all the way to Game 7 in the semifinals. Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals will look to build on this for the 2012-2013 season and come back even stronger.

5/11/12 With their backs against the wall in Game 6 at the Verizon Center in Washington, the Washington Capitals held off elimination with a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers to force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Many expected that the Caps would have lost their resolve after a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss in Game 5 that saw the Rangers tie it up with 6.6 seconds left in regulation and win it in only 90 seconds into overtime, however the Capitals rallied and forced a decisive Game 7 behind their star forward Alexander Ovechkin.

5/3/12: The Washington Capitals Cinderella story continued this week as they took on the New York Rangers in a second round Stanley Cup playoff series. After dropping the opening game they bounced back and beat the Rangers in Game two by a score of 3-2. The big story was the limited ice time given to super star Alex Ovechkin. Not known for his defense play, Ovechkin has found himself watching a lot of this series as coach Dale Hunter has preferred better defensive players. That did not stop the Russian dynamo from scoring the game winning goal in Game 2 to even up the series.

4/26/12: The Washington Capitals completed a stunning first round Stanley Cup playoff upset of the defending champion Boston Bruins this week when Joel Ward scored the Game 7 winning goal in overtime. This series ended up being the closest one, in goal differential, in NHL history and has made an overnight star of young Capitals goalie Braden Holtby. Holtby was forced into the starting role for the playoffs due to injuries to the top two goalies and the rookie held his own. Looking like a seasoned vet he held the Bruins at bay and now has his team steaming into the second round.

4/19/12: The Capitals entered their best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series with the physical Boston Bruins having to rely on third string goalie Braden Holtby. Holtby has been brilliant so far only giving up one goal in each of the first two games in Boston. One of those games was a 1-0 loss which can hardly be blamed on the young net-minder. Despite Holtby being a great story the Capitals do find themselves down two games to one against the Bruins and will have to try and even the series without top scorer Nicklas Backstrom who was suspended for a game after cross-checking Boston's Rich Peverly up high.

Washington Capitals Tickets -Team History

Washington Capitals tickets allow fans the opportunity to see a core of young players fight their way to the top of the NHL's Eastern Conference. Established in 1974, the Capitals joined the National Hockey League as an expansion team and play at the Verizon Center in Washington's Chinatown neighborhood. Watch as the Washington Capitals build their legacy in the Nation's Capital.

Washington Capitals Tickets -Season Info

The Washington Capitals have experienced a rebirth since drafting superstar Alex Ovechkin No.1 overall in 2004. With the emergence of other notable stars like Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin, the Capitals are routinely finding themselves in playoff contention year after year. After a disappointing early exit from the post-season in 2010, the Caps look to push their season all the way into June in 2011. Led by team captain Alex Ovechkin, the Caps will try to make history by bringing Washington its first Stanley Cup.

Washington Capitals Tickets - The Players

The Capitals will enter the 2011-2012 season with many marquee names once again, including Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, and Mike Green. Capitals general manager George McPhee made a few big splashes this summer in preparation for the season. First, he traded away Semyon Varlamov for the Colorado Avalanche for draft picks. He then signed Joel Ward, Roman Hamrlik, and Tomas Vokoun Vokoun was one of the best bargains of the offseason, signing for only 1 year at $1.5 million! The Capitals will surely contend for the Stanley Cup this season!

Washington Capitals Tickets - Ticket Information

Washington Capitals tickets ensure that fans see the Capitals playing top contenders throughout the entire NHL season. The Caps have their work cut out for them in a tough Southeast Division. With matchups against great teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes and non-divisional meetings with Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins, the Capitals are sure to be tested all season long. Grab your Caps tickets now and don't miss the action!

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